International Women's Day
by JaggerK
Summary: The women who populate the world of Young Justice are strong, independent, and, often, working to overcome weakness or a harsh past. Take a glimpse inside these very diverse ladies.


In honour of International Women's Day we'll visit with some of our heroines for a glimpse at their lives. To see the strength, and the weakness, that makes them who they are. This is a bit late as my own life decided to interfere, dratted responsibilities! I hope you enjoy it anyway.

The stories take place at assorted spots in the timeline.

Everything belongs to DC.

Dinah Lance – Black Canary

The day counseling the team had been long. She had concerns with Artemis and Conner as usual. Some time spent with Selina might be beneficial for Artemis. For Conner, well, what was needed was for Clark to get over himself and step up.

She'd been so lucky she realized, not for the first time, in her parents, her childhood, and her upbringing. Her father had doted on her. She had been Daddy's little girl. Her mother might not have been the traditional mother but she had given Dinah something even better. She'd blazed a trail as the original Black Canary. One of the original female superheroes, not a mere token either. She fought just as hard as her male counterparts and was respected by them in a time when women were relegated to the kitchen and taking care of the children.

Dinah's inner musings distracted her enough from her current sparring session with Oliver that he got in a lucky shot and sent her to the mat. Goofy man that he was he bounced around on the mat next her hooting in triumph. Dinah resisted the urge to roll her eyes and merely swept her leg behind his ankles taking his legs out from under him. Ollie hit the mat next to her with an 'oof' and Dinah was on him before he could recover. She grinned down at the pinned man beneath her who grinned back up.

She had a good life, a really good life. She was highly respected by her peers as both a hero and a therapist. The fact that the man currently pinned beneath her had never won a spar with her but didn't let that threaten his manhood gave him a place in her life. He loved her strength, independence, and confidence. He told her that she could beat him and almost everyone else in hand to hand turned him on. A fact he kept proving by seducing her on the mats.

Her goofy, silly Ollie. Yes, she had a very full good life.

Lois Lane – Reporter for the Daily Planet

When Lois disembarked from the plane in Metropolis she could practically kiss the ground. She'd been gone from home for three weeks this time. Embedded with the troops she had gotten some great articles. Some had already been sent back to the Planet and published, some she had with her. Was it that she was getting older that she didn't want to be gone so long anymore? Lois Lane, crusading, ground-breaking reporter. She could crusade plenty from Metropolis or at least with shorter stints away. She'd proven that.

What she really wanted right now was to wash off the layer of travel grim. She almost moaned aloud when she thought of the bubble bath, foot massage, and candle light dinner that were sure to be waiting for her at home. Maybe even with a fresh baked pie flown in from Kansas.

Several voices calling out about Superman caused Lois to whip around. Surely Clark hadn't flown to the airport? Then she saw him on one of the airport big screens fighting some sort of creature. Well, there went all her wonderful dreams of what was waiting at home.

She laughed at herself. It was wonderful to have Smallville pamper her, especially after a grueling trip away, but General Lane's girls could handle themselves. She could be embedded with troops, interview warlords, and take down muggers. She could certainly run her own bath and order in.

Then maybe she'd have a glass of wine while she waited for her husband to finish beating up the monster so he could come home and give her that foot massage.

Selina Kyle – Catwoman

She'd gone straight from her office to put in a few hours at the shelter she had established for victims of domestic violence. The kind of place Selina would have loved to have gone with her mother when she was a child. Maria Kyle wouldn't have set foot in the building even if it had existed. She had a million excuses for the things her husband did and why nothing was his fault.

Normally, Selina loved being there. Spending time with the kids, seeing hope in eyes that had been without it for far too long, knowing that she was part of giving these women and children a chance at a better life.

Today had been bad, very bad. She had known that it would happen and had told herself she could handle it. Maybe if the eyes hadn't been the same emerald green as her own then seeing the look she had seen for far too long in the mirror in that little girl wouldn't have shaken her the same way. It had though. It felt like someone was slicing her soul to ribbons. She wanted to rip and rend and tear.

Selina wasn't a little girl who was prey to some man's perverted whims anymore. She was strong, capable, and dangerous. She was Catwoman. Tonight the streets of Gotham were going to be a hunting ground and criminals of a certain ilk her prey. No mercy to found, no quarter given. If a certain Bat had a problem with that he could kiss her sweet fanny. She didn't answer to him.

Mary West – Mother of Kid Flash

Mary sat on the couch next to Rudy holding his hand tightly as they watched news footage of Wally and Barry zipping in and out of the burning building rescuing people. Rudy's grip on her hand grew tighter each time Wally went back into the building. They had agreed to let Wally become Kid Flash once he had gained his powers and had completed a training regime set up for him by Barry. Mostly this was because they both knew that if they hadn't Wally would have used his powers without their support and Barry's guidance.

Wally had thrived as Kid Flash. It made Mary so proud to see her boy as a superhero, to watch him work alongside others. Rudy had a harder time with the whole situation. Things were bad enough when Wally worked strictly out of Central City beside Barry. When the Team had been formed he could be gone for days. It was up to her to be the rock of the family.

She held the family together, she held Rudy together. She was the core and the strength of their family. It was a job she was more than happy to take on. Not every woman was cut out to be the mother of a superhero. It took those made of sterner stuff to do the job.

Artemis Crock – Artemis

The breath slipped quietly across the arrow as she waited for the right moment. The three young heroes below her were barely holding their own against the robot. 'Amazo' the weird old guy with the flying monkeys called him. He was creepy.

The shot had to be taken at just the right time or she could blow it for all of them. There was no way she was going to be like her father or her sister. She could be different. She was strong enough to be different. She just had to prove it to herself….and maybe to someone else as well.

Below her Amazo tightened his grip on Kid Flash and she knew she had to take the shot. Her arrow passed harmlessly through him as he used Martian Manhunter's powers to become intangible. It didn't matter. The ploy had worked. Kid Flash fell to the floor, freed from his tormentor. Artemis smirked to herself. She kicked ass.


End file.
